View Single Post
Old 12-10-2003, 07:26 AM   #216
Estelyn Telcontar
Princess of Skwerlz
 
Estelyn Telcontar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,645
Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!
Silmaril

Estelyn had slept restlessly, walking the aisles of the library in her dreams, looking for something, always searching, incessantly wandering. She awoke well before dawn, not unusual for her, but she was more exhausted than refreshed. Dressing hurriedly, she hastened her steps to the part of the palace tower which housed the archives of the White City. Why should she feel as if she had to find something, she wondered. On the contrary, she had new documents that needed to be placed on the right shelves, so that they could be found by those who might want to read them later.

She opened the heavy door to the library rooms and picked up a small lamp that stood on the table next to the entrance. Not that she needed it to find her way; she knew these halls well. But she felt the need to see – what, she did not know. Her eyes wandered to and fro as she walked through the aisles; all seemed to be as usual. Yet there was a breath of fresh air enlivening the mustiness; she followed it, glad of the closed lamp that kept her light from flickering, until she found a window that had been opened slightly. Puzzled, she held the light closer to inspect the dusty sill.

There were marks, scratches, as if a bird had landed there, but no sign of finger marks. Who had opened the window, and above all, why? Certainly the documents and books were valuable, but not so for a common thief. They could hardly be sold for enough money to be interesting as a booty. Had something been taken, and if so, what? The window was located high in the tower; how had someone been able to climb up that far?

She closed the window, noting that the horizon was lightening almost imperceptibly, though the stars still shone brightly. Lifting her lamp, she began to search methodically, scanning each shelf for signs of a departure from the usual order. The slight coating of dust that was ever-present in these rooms showed no disturbance; the books stood in their rows as always, old friends that seemed to greet her invitingly. Finally, in a cubicle farther back in a corner, she discovered that the parchment rolls were not as carefully stacked as normally.

Yes, undoubtedly someone had been here, and it was not one of her well-trained library assistants. They knew better than to risk her ire by handling the precious rolls with less than meticulous care. She paged through several of the parchments, making note of their content and trying to ascertain what could be missing. But not even she knew the contents of the archives by heart, and there were many aged documents that had not been recorded. Making a mental note to ask one of her helpers to reorder that shelf and record which rolls it contained, she left. Oh, and she must ask a carpenter to have a look at the window – it wouldn’t do to have it open so easily!

She decided to walk to the Seventh Star later on that day; perhaps she would see if someone new had come to the city, someone who had an unusual interest in old records…
__________________
'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'
Estelyn Telcontar is offline